April may have been the official ‘art month’ in Hong Kong, but its lingering effects are still coaxing creatives in the city to push the boundaries of their imagination. One such creative mind is celebrated Michelin-starred Japanese chef Daisuke Mori, whose hidey-hole restaurant Takumi by Daisuke Mori, tucked away in Wan Chai, is collaborating with Polish designer and artist Mariusz Malecki of Studio Ziben fame to create a special eight-course art menu to bring together the worlds of high design and haute cuisine.

Just like Malecki uses everything from discarded wood to scraps of cloths for his collages, similarly chef Daisuke Mori has painstakingly constructed each part of the degustation menu to be a perfect fit for the larger composition of the meal which pays a homage not just to Malecki’s artworks but also to his vision and inspirations.

For instance, there is the langoustine with beetroots gelée and parsley roots purée, a refreshing dish in itself, but made more nuanced by the use of beetroot gelée – a hark-back to Malecki’s Polish roots, with this particular vegetable being a common element in Polish cuisine.

Another such dish is the black rice risotto with squid ink and silver point – co-created by the artist and chef Mori – which is rich both in terms of its looks and its flavours, with chunky pieces of squid adding further to the richness of the risotto.

The set dinner is, however, only available till 18 May, but knowing chef Mori, it won’t come as a surprise if there are more such artistic collaborations up his sleeves in future.

Takumi by Daisuke Mori, Shop 1, The Oakhill, 16 Wood Road, Wan Chai, +852 2574 1299

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay